SLEMCO Power March

SLEMCO
POWER
MARCH/APRIL
2 0 1 4
LAOTIAN
NEW YEAR!
Songkran festival
enlivens Acadiana’s
Easter weekend
PAGE 4
ANNUAL MEETING PAGE 2 SCHOLARSHIPS PAGE 3 DESIGN ONE HOME
PAGE 6
SLEMCO
POWER
Volume 63 No. 2
TakeNote
March/April 2014
The Official Publication of the Southwest
Louisiana Electric Membership Corporation
3420 NE Evangeline Thruway
P.O. Box 90866
Lafayette, Louisiana 70509
Phone 337-896-5384
www.slemco.com
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ACADIA PARISH
Bryan G. Leonards, Sr.,
Secretary-Treasurer
Merlin Young
ANNUAL MEETING
William Huval, First Vice President
Adelle Kennison
LAFAYETTE PARISH
Jerry Meaux, President
Carl Comeaux
ST. LANDRY PARISH
Leopold Frilot, Sr.
Gary G. Soileau
VERMILION PARISH
Joseph David Simon, Jr.,
Second Vice President
Charles Sonnier
ATTORNEY
James J. Davidson, III
EXECUTIVE STAFF
J.U. Gajan
Chief Executive Officer & General Manager
Glenn Tamporello
Director of Operations
Jim Laque
Director of Engineering
Katherine Domingue
Chief Financial Officer
SLEMCO POWER STAFF
Mary Laurent, CCC, CKAE, MIP
Editor
SLEMCO POWER (USPS 498-720, ISSN
0274-7685) is published bimonthly by Southwest
Louisiana Electric Membership Corporation,
3420 NE Evangeline Thruway, Lafayette, LA
70509-0866. Periodicals postage paid at Lafayette,
LA 70507.
POSTMASTER: send address changes to SLEMCO,
P.O. Box 90866, Lafayette, LA 70509-0866.
On the cover: March Boutvonnoan of Baton
Rouge, Nang Songkran (Miss New Year) 2013.
Photo by James Edmunds
Page 2 ❘ SLEMCO Power
Photos by P.C. Piazza
MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND OUR 77TH
ST. MARTIN PARISH
S
LEMCO’s 77th Annual Membership
Meeting will be held on Saturday,
June 7, at Lafayette’s Cajundome.
Attendees have a chance to win one of 27
prizes, including a new 2014 car or truck.
Drawings will also determine who will
receive $40,000 in college scholarships.
Our day begins early. Doors open at
6 a.m., with plenty of hot Community
coffee as you visit with your friends
and neighbors. Coffee is free and the
Cajundome will have other refreshments
available for purchase (Lucky Account
Number 1016967201).
Music by Roddie Romero & the Hub
City All Stars will start at 6:30 a.m., so
wear your dancing shoes. United Blood
Services will hold its 12th annual blood
drive at our meeting. Your continued generosity is appreciated because of increased
demand for blood and reduced donations
during summer.
Prize drawings begin at 8 a.m., and
winning names will be drawn until our
business meeting begins at 10 a.m. Brief
reports from the company’s officers and
legal counsel will bring members up to
date on SLEMCO operations.
When the business portion concludes,
our scholarship drawing will award
college funds of $2,000 each to 20 lucky
students. Then, to end our meeting on a
high note, our grand prize drawing will
allow one lucky winner a choice from
among five new vehicles. •
COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS
CAN ENTER PRIZE AND SCHOLARSHIP DRAWINGS
S
LEMCO commercial customers wishing to participate in the prize drawings should drop off a letter naming
their company’s authorized representative
to SLEMCO’s main office by June 6.
After presenting ID on the day of the
meeting, that representative will receive a
card for the prize drawing.
Owners of commercial establishments
who are SLEMCO customers may also
sponsor their children, themselves or a
spouse for the scholarship drawing, but
only if they own more than 50 percent of
the company, corporation or partnership.
Proof of ownership is required whenever a commercial business sponsors a
scholarship applicant (Lucky Account
Number 2219200000). •
APPLY NOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A
total of $40,000 in college scholarships
will be given away at our 77th annual
meeting on Saturday, June 7. Twenty
students will each win $2,000 to help pay
for college. The process is easy, but you
must apply before the meeting.
Members connected to SLEMCO for
one contiguous year prior to the May 8
entry deadline can sponsor themselves, a
spouse, dependent children or legal wards.
Grandchildren are eligible only if they are
the legal dependents or
wards of members.
Applications for the
2014 SLEMCO scholarship program will
be included with all
February and March
SLEMCO bills.
You can also download the application
from our website, www.
slemco.com. This electronic version of the
application is in PDF
format. After filling it
out, follow the directions on our website to
e-mail it to SLEMCO or
print a copy and submit
it by mail.
Read the application carefully and follow all instructions
(Lucky Account Number 2414130000).
Applications for the scholarships
will be accepted until Thursday, May 8.
Delivered entries and electronically submitted entries must be received by 4:30
p.m., May 8, and mailed entries must
be postmarked by that day. Entries can
be mailed to the SLEMCO Scholarship
Program, P.O. Box 90866, Lafayette, LA
70509.
These funds can be used to attend any
Louisiana public university to pursue an
undergraduate degree beginning this fall.
Winners must have at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and plan to attend
on a full-time basis (at least 12 hours) this
fall. Technical colleges or private universities do not qualify and students must be at least high
school seniors to enter.
IRS guidelines allow a
parent to claim their college student child until the
year he or she turns 24.
We follow the same guidelines for awarding these
scholarships. In order to
sponsor a child, parents
must still claim the applicant on their income tax
return and the applicant
must be under 24 years of
age. Proof will be required.
Only one family member can win per year, but
any eligible family member can enter every year.
Winners aren’t eligible
to receive the scholarship again (Lucky
Account Number 2123419000).
Even though the entry deadline is not
until May, get your application in early so
you don’t forget. We’ve already received
several hundred entries. If you have any
questions, call SLEMCO at 896-5384.
Illustration by Anne Darrah
A
SCHOLARSHIP
•
APPLY FOR COLLEGE ASSISTANCE EARLY
SLEMCO scholarships are just one opportunity to help pay for your college
education. High school seniors can often begin applying for many
forms of college assistance as early as January of their
senior year (Lucky Account Number
1054570000). Check with your high school
guidance counselor to see what grants, loans
or scholarships are available.
•
ENERGY SAVING IDEAS
LANDSCAPING FOR SHADE
Trees, vines, and shrubs that
shade a home can lower cooling
costs in warm climates like ours,
according to www.energy.gov.
Trees are available in all sorts
of sizes, densities and shapes for
almost any shade application. Want
to block solar heat in the summer
but gain heat during the winter?
Plant deciduous trees, which drop
their leaves in the fall. Want continuous shade or to block heavy winds?
Select dense evergreens or shrubs.
Deciduous trees with high,
spreading crowns of leaves and
branches should be planted to the
south for maximum roof shade in
summer. Trees with lower crowns
are better to the west, to offer shade
from lower afternoon sun.
A slow-growing tree may require
years before it shades your roof, but
will normally live longer. Its deeper
roots and stronger branches make
it less prone to wind breakage and
more drought resistant.
Plant trees far enough away from
the home so that, when mature,
their root systems do not damage
the foundation and branches do not
damage the roof. Trees, shrubs, and
groundcover can also shade the
ground and pavement around your
home, reducing heat radiation.
However, avoid dense foliage
right next to a home if wetness
and humidity are a concern.
Landscaping should allow winds to
flow around the home, to keep the
home and soil reasonably dry.
For more information, visit http://
www.energy.gov/energysaver/
articles/landscaping-energy-efficienthomes. •
SLEMCO Power ❘ Page 3
The ordination hall
SONGKRAN
EXPLORE A WEEKEND OF LAOTIAN CELEBRATION
S T O RY & P H O T O S BY JA M E S E D M U N D S
Takraw, an energetic kickball game
Entrance gate to the community’s temple
Page 4 ❘ SLEMCO Power
E
ach Easter weekend, Lane Xang Village, a Laotian community located in northwestern Iberia Parish, opens its
arms to all and celebrates Songkran, a three-day New
Year festival that features religious ceremonies, sporting
events, music and dance, a wide variety of foods, colorful
costumes and a paraded pageant queen.
As refugees from southeast Asia came to America after the end
of the Vietnam War in 1975, a Laotian community began coalescing in Iberia Parish. In the manner of most refugee immigrant
enclaves, initial settlers welcomed family members and old world
neighbors into their rapidly growing community, which soon
included several hundred families.
But unlike the more typical path of immigrants­—struggling
financially in the beginning while hoping for entry-level jobs
in urban areas—these new arrivals were set down in a sizzling
Louisiana energy economy that was thriving even as the rest of the
nation was faltering. There were textile jobs, light manufacturing
jobs and even lucrative jobs in energy industry fabrication which
created training programs in their native language. And because
it was a relatively rural area, farmland was affordable enough for
a group to create Lane Xang Village, a subdivision with a very
distinctive twist—a large parcel set aside for the creation of a
Buddhist temple, Wat Thammarattanaram.
A temple was constructed in the late 1980s, and its annual
Songkran celebration quickly attracted southeast Asians from
surrounding states because no other community in the region so
(Clockwise from left) Traditional dance is
featured at Friday evening’s pageant; a
statue of Buddha; a vendor grills khao larm,
a sticky rice in bamboo; visitors feast inside
the temple; a monk takes a souvenir photo
of newly crowned pageant royalty; children
cover each other in shaving cream,
representing a spiritual cleansing.
richly evoked the temple-centered village life of Laos. Organizers
decided that rather than its traditional mid-April dates, Songkran
would be observed at Easter, making Lane Xang Village a threeday weekend destination for southeast Asians from the entire
multi-state region (Lucky Account Number 3434512100).
“As a little girl, I remember my mom bringing home traditional
costumes from the trips she made to Thailand to buy things for
the store our family ran,” recalled Amonelath Xanamane, who
came to Iberia Parish as a child from an Asian refugee camp. “The
adult women of the Laotian community taught the children the
hand movements and the dances for the pageant and the parade.”
A new, larger temple was built a few years ago, along with an
ordination hall for Buddhist monks. On the weekend of the celebration, visitors dine with the monks in the temple; meanwhile,
food and other vendors line the festival grounds. On Friday evening a pageant queen is selected; she is honored in a parade on
Saturday. The underlying theme of Songkran is cleansing and
renewal. For youngsters this is jubilantly expressed by shooting
water pistols and slathering one another in shaving cream.
Even with traditional roots half a world away, the Songkran
weekend fits snugly within south Louisiana’s craze for festivals
and has attracted an increasing number of Lane Xang Village’s
Acadiana neighbors to experience Laotian culture firsthand.
Lane Xang Village is located on Iberia Parish Road 503
(Melancon Road) just south of Parish Road 502 (Captain Cade
Road). This year’s celebration will be held April 18–20.
•
SLEMCO Power ❘ Page 5
Dexter & Tanya Istre
of Kaplan
THE HOME OF THEIR DREAMS
S
Photos by Curtis Darrah
ometimes dreams can become reality.
than a third the size.
Tanya Istre first met her future hus“After nine months of continuous late nights
band, Dexter, when she was 15. Even
and weekends, and with the help of family and
back then, she remembers, his dream
friends, our dream home is a reality,” Tanya said.
was to build his “forever” home with his dad
Family gatherings were obviously in the foreand brothers.
front of their minds as Dexter drafted the house
Now, after two years of planning, the result
plans. The rich and elegant kitchen anchors an
is this beautiful and spacious four-bedroom
open floor plan than flows from a cozy dining
Dexter and Tanya Istre pictured
country home near Kaplan.
room to an expansive living area with cypressin their kitchen, which includes
Although now in the oilfield, Dexter worked
plank cathedral ceilings. A door from the dining
conveniences (below) such as
alongside his dad and brothers building homes with
area
leads
to a game room.
an appliance garage, pot filler
Rodney Istre & Sons Construction as soon as he was old and a pull-out spice rack.
The living area focuses on a dramatic stone fireenough to swing a hammer. His dad devoted nearly a
place. Comfy leather armchairs—enough for a small
year to help make his son’s childhood dream come true.
crowd—invite everyone to relax with a football game or country
Rodney Istre Sr.’s cabinetry had been featured in a previous
music broadcast through the integrated audio/visual system.
SLEMCO Design One home, so he told them about the program.
“Our house is a mixture of favorite things about our childDexter and Tanya will be grateful every time they pay their
hood homes, things we wished we had in our first home, and
SLEMCO bill. Although they now enjoy 4,270 square feet of living
my dreams come true from loving to be the hostess and knowarea (6,000 square feet under roof), their electric bills are similar
ing exactly how I wanted to ‘play house’ in my adult life,” Tanya
to those in their previous 30-year-old brick home, which was less
explained (Lucky Account Number 1425412500).
•
Page 6 ❘ SLEMCO Power
THIS HOME’S FEATURED
SUPPLIERS
This large whirlpool tub with
glass block window highlights
a spacious master bathroom.
n BUILDER: Tony Istre Construction (Dexter Istre,
Rodney Istre Sr. and Tony Istre)
Hardee Home Center, Gueydan
n HEATING/COOLING: Libby A/C, Crowley,
installed three central units with heat pump.
n ELECTRICIAN: Istre and DuBois family and friends
n PLUMBING: Tony Istre Construction
n WINDOWS: Acadiana Doors and Windows,
Youngsville, installed vinyl Ply Gem Low E, double
pane with argon gas windows.
n DOORS: Acadiana Doors and Windows, Youngsville,
installed wood and fiberglass, Low E, double pane
with argon gas.
n FLOORING: Doug Ashy, Lafayette
n APPLIANCES: Sears, Lafayette
n PAINTERS: Istre and DuBois family and friends
n BRICK: Mike Baker Brick, Mermentau
n CONCRETE: Port Aggregate, Mermentau
n CABINETS: Rodney Istre Sr.
n INSULATION: Installed by Istre and DuBois family
and friends, R38 ceiling, R15 4" and R19 6" walls
n PLANS: Dexter Istre
n LUMBER:
The couple is especially grateful to Caldonia and
Rodney Istre Sr., Cyndi and Jeff LeMaire, and
Lana and Shannon Menard for their nine-month
contribution of time and effort to give birth to this
beautiful Design One home (Lucky Account Number
3014290400).
Planning a new home
on SLEMCO power?
Call Robert Mitchell at
896-2524 or e-mail
robert.mitchell@slemco.
com for information on
our latest Design One
guidelines.
GUIDELINES FOR
T
ENERGY-EFFICIEN
HOME BUILDING
SLEMCO
If you follow these
es,
Design One guidelin
heating
you may cut your
by
and cooling costs
and
up to 30 percent
’s
qualify for SLEMCO
tial rate.
lowest residen
n AUDIO/VIDEO/ENTIRE HOUSE
AVI, Lafayette
Kirklands, Lafayette
n GARAGE DOORS: Overhead Door Company,
Lafayette
n ALARM: ADT
SURROUND SOUND:
n MIRRORS:
Building the house themselves
with the help of family and
friends, an extensive “must
have” list was achievable. This
included a cathedral ceiling in
the living room, with 12x12inch red cedar beams and
columns separating it from
the kitchen. The Istres love
music so volume-controlled
speakers were installed
throughout the house.
SLEMCO Power ❘ Page 7
PARTICIPATING IN SLEMCO’S
T
he 77th annual meeting of the SLEMCO membership will be
held on Saturday, June 7, 2014, at 10 a.m. at the Lafayette
Cajundome. The following, taken from the co-op’s By-Laws, details
the reason for annual meetings and shows how board members are
selected for the organization.
ARTICLE III
Meeting of Members
Section 1. Annual and Special Meetings.
(a) The Annual Meetings of the members shall be held on the first
Saturday of June of each year for the purpose of electing directors, passing upon reports covering the previous fiscal year and
transacting such other business as may come before the meeting.
If such Annual Meeting is omitted on the date herein provided
therefore, a special meeting may be held in place thereof, and
any business transacted or elections held at such special meeting
shall have the same effect as if transacted or held at the Annual
Meeting. Failure to hold the Annual Meeting at the designated
time shall not work a forfeiture or dissolution of the Corporation.
(b) Special meeting of the members may be called by the President; by
Resolution of the Board of Directors; upon written request signed
by any three Directors; or by a Petition signed by not less than ten
percent (10%) of the Members of the Corporation. It shall thereupon be the duty of the Secretary to cause a notice of such meeting to be given as hereinafter provided.
Section 2. Place and Purposes of Member’s Meetings.
(a) Meetings of the members shall be held at the principal office of the
Corporation in the City of Lafayette, Louisiana, or at such other
place in the State of Louisiana as may be designated in the call of
the meeting.
(b) The purposes for which meetings of the members are to be
held, in addition to those purposes prescribed by law, include
Amendments to the Articles of Incorporation, or By-Laws, and
in the case of a Special Meeting, the purpose or purposes for
which the meeting is called shall be specified in writing. Special
Meetings shall be called by the President, Board of Directors, a
written request signed by any three (3) Directors, or by a Petition
signed by not less than ten percent (10%) of the members of the
Corporation.
Section 3. Notice of Meetings.
(a) Written or printed notice of the time and place and purposes
as set out in Section 2 of all meetings shall be either mailed or
delivered personally to each member not less than ten (10) days
nor more than twenty-five (25) days before the date for such
meeting, directed to his address as it appears on the Corporation’s
books, postage prepaid. If mailed, with postage thereon prepaid,
such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in
the United States mail, addressed to the member at his address as
it appears on the records of the Cooperative. The failure of any
member to receive notice of an annual or special meeting of the
members shall not invalidate any action which may be taken by
the members of any such meeting.
Section 4. Quorum. Five percent of all members, present in person, shall constitute a quorum. At any meeting of members at which a quorum is determined not to be present, a majority of those present in person
may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice.
Section 5. Voting.
(a) At every meeting of the members, each member present shall
be entitled to only one vote. Where the membership stands in
the name of the husband, the vote may be cast by the wife in the
event the husband is not in attendance, and where the member-
Page 8 ❘ SLEMCO Power
ship stands in the name of the wife, the vote may be cast by the
husband if the wife is not in attendance. A duly authorized officer
of any firm, corporation, partnership, association, business trust,
federal agency, state or political subdivision or agency thereof or
any body politic, may, upon proper proof of his authority, cast the
vote of such organization. Except as otherwise provided herein, at
all such meetings of the members at which a quorum is present, all
questions shall be decided by a vote of a majority of the members
voting on the particular question.
(b) There shall be no voting by proxy.
Section 6. Order of Business. The order of business at the
Annual Meetings of the members, and so far as possible at all other meetings of the members shall be as follows:
1. Report as to which members are present in person in order to
determine the existence of a quorum.
2. Reading of the notice of the meeting together with proof of the
due mailing thereof or of the waiver or waivers of notice of such
meeting.
3. Presentation and reading of unapproved minutes of previous
meetings of the members and the taking of necessary action thereon.
4. Presentation and consideration of, and acting upon, report of officers, directors and committees.
5. Election of directors.
6. Unfinished Business.
7. New business.
8. Adjournment.
ARTICLE IV
Board of Directors
Section 1. General Powers. The business and affairs of the
Corporation shall be managed by a Board of Directors which shall exercise
all of the powers of the Corporation except such as are by law or by the
Articles of Incorporation or by these By-Laws conferred upon or reserved
to the members.
Section 2. Number and Qualifications and Election.
(a) The number of Directors of the Corporation shall be ten (10).
Each Director must be a member of the Corporation and shall
be elected by the members at the Annual Meeting of Members
or at the special meeting held in lieu thereof, for the term and as
provided by these By-Laws. There shall be two (2) Directors from
each of the following Parishes: Acadia, St. Landry, Lafayette, St.
Martin, and Vermilion. Each Director shall have resided in one
of the aforesaid parishes for the preceding two (2) years, and shall
have been actively domiciled for the preceding year in the parish
he represents.
(b) No person may hold the office of Director who is in any way
employed by, or financially interested in a competing enterprise or
a business selling electric energy or supplies to the Cooperative, or
a business primarily engaged in selling
electrical or plumbing appliances, fixtures or supplies to the members of the Cooperative.
(b-1) No person may hold the office of Director who is in any way
employed by the corporation.
(b-2) No person may hold the office of a Director if he and/or an
immediate family member is financially interested in a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy or supplies to the Corporation, or a business primarily engaged in
selling electrical or plumbing appliances, fixtures, or supplies
to the members of the Corporation. An immediate family
member, for the purposes of this subsection (b-2) is defined as
the Director’s spouse, parent, child, grandchild, brother, sister,
ANNUAL MEETING IS EASY
and/or spouses thereof, including any in-laws of the aforesaid
persons. A financial interest for the purposes of this subsection
(b-2) is defined as an ownership interest in excess of 10% in an
enterprise or business above referenced, and which ownership
interest produces an income in excess of $500.00 per annum.
(c) No person may be eligible to serve as a director who is the incumbent of or a candidate for an elective public office in connection
with which a salary in excess of $500.00 per annum is paid.
(c-1) No person shall be allowed to hold the office of a Director of
the Corporation who is physically and/or mentally incapable
of performing all of the duties required of a Director. Such a
determination, pursuant to a charge of incapacity, shall first
be made by a physician selected by a majority of the Board of
Directors and who after performing his evaluation renders a
report certifying the incapacity, either physically or mentally,
of the Director. Upon such certification, a majority of the
Board of Directors shall be allowed to declare said party mentally and/or physically incapable of performing all of his duties
as a Board Member. A refusal to submit to the examination
subjects the Director charged to immediate removal by majority vote of the Board of Directors.
(c-2) No person may hold the office of a Director of the
Corporation who has been convicted of any felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude.
(c-3) No person may be eligible to serve as a Director who has an
immediate family member (immediate means within the third
degree) serving on the Board of Directors of the corporation.
(c-4) No person holding the position of a Director of this corporation shall be allowed to solicit or otherwise request that the
corporation and/or its employees conduct business with said
Director.
(c-5) No person shall be eligible to serve as a Director until two (2)
years has elapsed since he was an employee of the Corporation.
(d) When a Director reaches the age of eighty (80), said Director
shall no longer be eligible to continue to serve as a Director of the
Corporation. If a Director of this Corporation is 80 years of age or
older on June 4, 2011, he shall only be eligible to continue to serve
as a Director of the Corporation for an additional six (6) month
period of time.
Any person and/or Director who violates any of the requirements of
Art. IV, Sec. 2, paragraphs a, b, c, c subparts and/or d, after due notice,
at least five (5) days prior to the meeting at which the charges are to be
considered, shall have the right to be heard in person or by counsel and to
present evidence in respect to the charges and the Board of Directors shall
have the same opportunity.
At the next regularly or specifically scheduled meeting, the Board of
Directors of the Corporation, by a majority vote of said Board, may remove
and the same are hereby authorized to remove the Director who has violated and/or who is found not to have fulfilled the qualifications of serving
on the Board of Directors of the Corporation. Said vacancy shall be filled as
provided for in Art. IV, Sec. 4 of these By-Laws.
(e) Nomination. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to
appoint, not less than forty-five (45) days nor more than one
hundred (100) days before the date of the meeting of members
at which Directors are to be elected, a committee on nominations consisting of not less than five (5) nor more than eleven
(11) members, who shall be selected from different sections of the
project area so as to ensure equitable representations. No member
of the Board of Directors may serve on such committee. The date,
time and place of the meeting of the nominating committee for
the Board of Directors shall be published in the monthly issue of
the membership publication in the month immediately preceding
that meeting. The committee shall prepare and post at the principal office of this Cooperative, at least forty-five (45) days before
the membership meeting, a list of nominations of Directors,
selecting the same number of persons as nominees as the number
whose terms expire at the next Annual Meeting; selecting at least
one (1) nominee from each Parish which is the address and domicile of the member whose term will expire at the Annual Meeting,
so as to ensure two (2) Board Members at all times from each
of the five (5) Parishes named in Section 2 (1), Article IV of the
By-Laws.
(e-1) Any fifteen (15) or more members acting together may make
other nominations by Petition and file the Petition with the
Secretary at the headquarters office of the Cooperative, not less
than twenty-five (25) days prior to the meeting of the members. The Secretary shall thereupon immediately post such
nominations at the headquarters office of the Cooperative, at
which place the list of nominations made by the Nominating
Committee has been posted. When nominations are made
by Petition in addition to those made by the Nominating
Committee as aforesaid, the Secretary shall immediately mail
with the notice of the meeting, or separately, but at least ten
(10) days prior to the date of the meeting of members, to each
member a statement of the number of Directors to be elected
and the names and addresses of all of the candidates, specifying separately the nominations made by the Committee on
Nominations and also the nominations made by Petition.
All nominations of members as candidate for the Board of
Directors shall specify the Parish which the said candidate is
to represent. All members present at the Annual Meeting at
which Directors are to be elected, shall be entitled to vote on
the Directors to be elected, regardless of the Parish which such
Directors are to represent. Notwithstand­ing anything contained in this Section, failure to comply with any of the provisions of this Section shall not in any manner whatsoever affect
the validity of any election for Directors.
Section 3. Tenure. The Board of Directors shall be divided into
three (3) classes at the Annual Meeting of members to be held on June 2,
1979, the first class to be composed of four (4) members with the term of
office to expire at the next succeeding Annual Meeting in 1980; the second
class to be composed of three (3) members with the term of the Directors
of the second class to expire at the second succeeding Annual Meeting in
1981, and the third class to be composed of three (3) members, and the
term of office to expire of the third succeeding Annual Meeting in 1982.
As nearly as possible, no two members shall be elected from the same parish in the same year. The implementation of this provision of the By-Laws
shall not be such as to reduce the term of office of any Director serving at
the time of its implementation. At each Annual Meeting following the classification herein provided, a number of Directors equal to the number of
the class whose term expired at the time for such meeting shall be elected
to hold office for a term of three (3) years, or until the third succeeding
Annual Meeting after such election.
Section 4. Vacancies. Vacancies occurring in the Board of
Directors shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining Directors.
Directors thus elected by the Board of Directors to fill vacancies shall
serve until the expiration of the term of the Director whose office the said
member has been elected to fill or until his successor has been duly elected
and qualified, provided, however, that any member elected by the Board of
Continued on page 12
SLEMCO Power ❘ Page 9
COOKING
SO M E THI N G GO O D IS A L W A Y S
These recipes come from The Gathering of
Friends, Volume Five: Come Gather at
my Table. It is available for $32.50 at
www.thegatheringoffriends.com or local and
online bookstores and shops.
Cashew Ginger Salad
4 large carrots
3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
6 egg roll wraps
1/4 head purple cabbage
8 green onions
1/2 cup pickled ginger, sliced
2 bunches cilantro
10 oz. pkg. spring mix
10 oz. pkg. arugula
1 1/2 cups whole, salted cashews
Peel outer skin of carrots and discard.
Using a potato peeler, slice carrots into
thin pieces. Place carrots in a bowl of
ice water to curl. Heat oil in heavy skillet on medium-high. Cut egg roll wraps
into skinny strips. Drop strips into hot
oil and cook until golden brown, turning
twice; remove and drain on paper towel.
Chop purple cabbage into small pieces.
Cut green onions into 1-inch pieces. Cut
pickled ginger into smaller pieces. Clean,
rise and chop cilantro; discard the ends.
When ready to serve, toss all ingredients
together and serve with Asian Ginger
Dressing (below).
Asian Ginger Dressing
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
Place all ingredients in blender and
mix well. Chill before serving.
Steak & Swiss Sliders
4 rib eye steaks
2 3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, divided
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Page 10 ❘ SLEMCO Power
1 tsp. coarse black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red chili flakes
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. onion salt
24 dinner rolls
3/4 lb. sliced Swiss cheese
3/4 cup butter
5 tsp. honey mustard, divided
2 tbsp. minced onion
2 green onions
Spread out steaks on a jelly roll pan.
Poke holes in meat with a fork; season
evenly with 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce,
salt, pepper, crushed red chili flakes,
cayenne pepper and onion salt. Grill for 3
to 4 minutes on each side. Remove from
grill and slice steak diagonally into long
strips.
Preheat oven to 350º. Melt butter in
small mixing bowl. Fold in 2 1/2 tsp.
honey mustard, minced onion and 3/4
tbsp. Worcestershire sauce. Cut each roll
in half; stack strips of rib eye steak topped
with slices of Swiss cheese on bottom
half. Spread remaining honey mustard
inside top half of each roll and place
sliders tightly together on jelly roll pan.
Pour honey mustard mixture on the tops
of the sliders and cover with foil. Bake for
20 to 25 minutes. When ready to serve,
garnish with diced green onions.
Rosemary Flatbread
Crackers
1 tbsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1 tbsp. flax seed
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
1/4 cup dried Parmesan cheese
3 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup water
Combine rosemary, flax seeds, sesame
seeds, Parmesan cheese and 2 tsp. salt;
stir together and set aside. Preheat oven
to 450º. In a large bowl, whisk flour,
whole wheat flour and 1 tsp. salt together.
Add olive oil and water; stir with spatula
until dough forms a crumbly ball.
Set dough on a lightly floured surface
and divide into 3 portions. Roll each portion into very thin circles and place on a
jelly roll pan. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the dough with water and evenly
sprinkle surface with rosemary mix.
Cut dough into triangles like pizza
slices. Slightly separate each dough triangle. Bake for 7 to 10 minute or until
browned. Remove from oven; let cool on
wire rack.
Apricot Stuffed
Pork Roast
2–3 lbs. boneless pork loin roast,
butterflied
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper
4 apples, divided
20 dried apricots, divided
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. garlic pepper
Preheat oven to 375°. Open roast and
place flat on a jelly roll pan. Season with
salt and pepper. Remove cores of the
apples and dice. Chop dried apricots. Fill
middle of roast with 2/3 apples and apricots. Roll up roast and tie each end and
the middle with butcher’s twine. Place the
stuffed roast in a baking dish. Generously
rub with olive oil. Pour broth over roast
and sprinkle remaining spices over entire
roast. Cover tightly with foil.
Roast in oven for 45 to 50 minutes or
until meat thermometer inserted after
3 minutes reads 145°. When ready to
serve, garnish roast with remaining
apples and apricots.
Hearts of Palm Salad
14.5 oz. jar hearts of palm
2 cups cherry tomatoes
16 oz. pkg. spring mix
2 cups pimiento stuffed olives
2 cups pitted black olives
Drain hearts of palm and cut into
1/4-inch chunks. Slice tomatoes in half.
Toss hearts of palm, tomatoes, spring mix
and whole olives together and chill. Toss
with Peppered Feta Dressing (below) and
serve.
Buttermilk Lemon Cakes
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking sda
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Hearts of Palm Salad
and sugar; set aside. In a separate mixing
bowl, combine melted butter, vegetable
oil and lemon oil; beat with electric mixer
and add eggs one at a time. Beat until
thoroughly mixed and then add dry
ingredients a cup at a time, alternating
with buttermilk, beating at a low speed.
Remove zest from 2 lemons. Add zest
and juice of both lemons to batter; fold
together. Spoon batter into mini muffin
bundt pans and bake for 18 to 20 minutes
or until center is set. Depending on size of
bundt pans used, cooking time will vary.
Remove from oven. Immediately remove
cake from pan and cover with plastic
wrap to retain moisture.
Lemon Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Peppered Feta Dressing
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. onion salt
1/2 cup peppered feta cheese, crumbled
Combine all ingredients in a small
mixing bowl and whisk together. Chill
and serve with Hearts of Palm Salad.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest and
juice until it forms a thick glaze. Add
more lemon juice if needed. Drizzle glaze
over cake after it has completely cooled.
Glaze will set and harden. Serve with
Frozen Blueberry Lemon Cream.
1/2 tsp. lemon oil
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 lemons, zest and juice
Preheat oven to 350º. Whisk together
flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt
LUCKY NUMBER
Frozen Blueberry
Lemon Cream
1 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
2 lemons, for zest
2 cups frozen whipped topping
1 cup fresh blueberries
In a mixing bowl, combine lemonade
concentrate, cream and powdered sugar;
whip until creamy. Clean lemons and
zest, about 1 tbsp. Fold zest into mixture. Add frozen whipped topping and
blend well. Fold in blueberries; cover the
lemon cream and place in freezer for at
least 4 hours or until solid. Serve with
Buttermilk Lemon Cakes.
For extra copies of these recipes or to
e-mail a copy to a friend, visit SLEMCO
Power magazine online at www.slemco.
com.
T
WINNERS
hree SLEMCO members found
their account numbers hidden in
the last issue of SLEMCO
Power and called in to claim a
$10 credit to their accounts.
Those members were Hilton
J. Gallien of Leonville,
Larry S. Fairchild of Church
Point and James R. High of
Carencro.
Seven others missed out on
their prizes: Greg Benhard of
Palmetto, Raymond Kaufmann of
Breaux Bridge, Tobias I. Idhammar
of Lafayette, Michael Crain of St.
Martinville, Charlene G. Eason of
Branch, Elise W. Journet of
Arnaudville and Ivory Disotell
of Krotz Springs.
Ten more numbers are
hidden in this issue (Lucky
Account Number 1016962602).
If you find your account
number, call Mrs. Gayle Babin at
SLEMCO at 896-2504 to verify if you
are a winner. If you are, she’ll credit
$10 to your SLEMCO account.
•
SLEMCO Power ❘ Page 11
Directors to fill a vacancy on the said Board must be a resident of the same
Parish as the director causing the said vacancy.
Section 5. Compensation. Directors shall not receive any salary
for their services, but by Resolution of the Board of Directors a fixed fee
and expenses of attendance may be allowed for attendance at each meeting
of the Board of Directors, provided that the Directors and Officers of the
Corporation, except in emergencies, shall not receive compensation from
the Corporation for their services except after approval by the members at
the regular or special meeting.
Section 6. Rules and Regulations. The Board of Directors
shall have power to make and adopt such rules and regulations, not
inconsistent with the Articles of Incorporation or the By-Laws of the
Corporation or the laws of the State of Louisiana as it may deem
advisable for the management, administration and regulation of the business and affairs of the Corporation.
Section 7. Accounting System and Reports. The Board of
Directors shall cause to be established and maintained a complete accounting system, which shall conform to such system of accounts as may from
time to time be designated by the Rural Electrification Administration
of the United States of America. All accounts of the Corporation shall be
examined by the Board of Directors at least four times a year at regular
meetings of the Board. The Board of Directors may also after the close of
each fiscal year cause to be made a full and complete audit of the accounts,
books and financial condition of the Corporation as of the end of such
fiscal year. Such audit reports shall be submitted to the members at the following Annual Meeting.
Section 8. Removal of Directors by Members. Any mem-
SPEEDY REPAIR IN THE COLD —
Linemen Greg Wade (left) and Luke
Bourgeois make short work of a
repair to restore power during a
recent subfreezing cold spell. Thanks
to continual work to keep our distribution infrastructure in top condition,
SLEMCO had very few outages during the severe winter weather (Lucky
Account Number 4503767800).
ber may bring charges against a Director by filing such charges in writing with
the Secretary, together with a Petition signed by at least ten percent (10%) of
the members and request the removal of such Director by reason thereof. The
Director, against whom such charges have been brought, shall be informed
in writing of the charges at least five (5) days prior to the meeting at which
the charges are to be considered and shall have an opportunity at the meeting to be heard in person or by counsel and to present evidence in respect to
the charges and the person or persons bringing the charges against him shall
have the same opportunity. The question of the removal of such Director shall
be considered and voted upon at the next regular or special meeting of the
members, as provided for in Louisiana R.S. 12:418, and any vacancy created
by such removal shall be filled by vote of the members in accordance with the
general nomination and election procedure provided for herein.
•
SLEMCO 2014 NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Acadia Parish—Mr. Donald Higginbotham, P.O. Box 643, Church Point,
LA 70525
Lafayette Parish—Mr. Ralph Miller, 2318 Ridge Road, Duson, LA 70529
St. Martin Parish—Mr. Ivy Perioux, P.O. Box 64, St. Martinville, LA
70582
St. Landry Parish—Mr. James Soileau, P.O. Box 234, Krotz Springs, LA
70750
Vermilion Parish—Mr. Luther “Buster” Hardy, 9902 Hannah Road,
Kaplan, LA 70548
The committee will meet April 1, 2014, at 8:00 a.m. at the SLEMCO office,
3420 NE Evangeline Thruway, Lafayette, LA.
(s) Bryan G. Leonards, Sr., Board Secretary
Photo by P.C. Piazza
Continued from page 9